Device for producing artificial ice



W. TAMM DEVICE FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL ICE July 10, 1934.

Filed Jan. 15, 1933 Patented July 10, 1934 PATENT OFFICE- DEVICE FORPnonUonv ARTIFICIAL ICE Walther Tamm, Munich, Germany, assignor ofone-half to Emil Witzenmann, lforzheim, Germany Application Januar u,1933, Serial No. 651,604

In Germany January 22, 1932 6 Claims. (Cl. 62- -105) Besides thegenerally employed method of producing artificial ice in cells, severalother methods have of late been proposed, the ice being manufactured inthese other methods not in the form of oblong blocks, but in the shapeof pieces resembling pieces of 'broken glass. In these other methodsonly a thin layer of ice is produced by bringing cold surfaces incontact with the water either by dipping the cold surface into the wateror by making the water ripple over the cold surface. The thus producedthin layer of ice is removed from the cold surface either physically,viz. by thawing it oil, or mechanically, viz. by any suitable mechanicalmeans. Removing the ice from said surfaces by thawing entails relativelygreat losses by melting, and removing it mechanically is also connectedwith undesired drawbacks. If rollers having spikes on theircircumferential surface are used, the rollers being rolled along uponand over the ice and the spikes being driven into it, the consumption ofpower for driving the spikes into the ice is relatively great. If, as isthe case with another method, a cooled drum rotates in a water bath, thelayer of ice is separated from the drum by deforming this latter bymeans of a suitable device introduced into the drum. As, however, onlythin-walled drums can be deformed in this manner, brine must be used ascooling agent. Thus, direct evaporation which generally requires highinternal pressure cannot be made use of in connection with theemployment of brine. The refrigerating machine must, thus, be operatedwith a relatively low evaporation temperature, in consequence of whichthe last-mentioned method is expensive.

The present invention obviates the drawbacks from which theabove-mentioned known methods suffer. Its chief characteristic featureis this that the cold surface on which the thin layer of ice is to beformed is constituted by the surface of a flexible metallic pipe, moreespecially of a flexible highpressure metallic pipe, as are on sale incommerce. These pipes are either dipped into a water-bath or the waterto be transformed into ice is made to ripple over them and in eithercase a refrigerating agent is conducted through the pipe. Separating theice from the flexible pipe is effected by bending this latter to andfro, the ice which is unable to take part in the bending falling off inthe form of irregular pieces resembling pieces of broken glass.

In order to make my invention more clear I refer to the accompanyingdrawing which shows diagrammatically and by way of example aconstructional form of an improved apparatus for carrying my improvedmethod into practice, Figure 1 showing a vertical axial section, andFigure 2 a horizontal transverse section through the same.

On the drawingf2 denotes the-spirally wound 3 flexible, pipe, into thelower end of which (at 1, Fig. l) the refrigerating agent is introduced.The upper end of the helical pipe is connected (at 3, Fig. 1) with arefrigerating machine (not shown). The water to be transformed into ,iceis conducted upon the top of the helical flexible pipe. and'ripples downover the cold surface thereof; it is circulated by means of a rotarypump 4 ,which sucks that water which has not yet been transformed intoice away at 8 from the bottom of the receptacle 7 in which the helicalpipe is housed through a pipe ,9 and drives it upwardly through a pipe9a, which terminates at 5 over a centrally located small vessel 6 fromwhich the water flows through radial pipes 6a into a perforated annulardistribution pipe 6b located just over the helical pipe 2.

The flexible pipe can be deformed by means of a mechanism which isdesigned as follows:

Alternate windings of the helical flexible pipe are connected with acertain plurality of vertical stationary bars 10 firmly secured to theinner wall of the receptacle 19, and the other alternate windings of theflexible pipe (which are those located between the windings aflixed tothe bars 10) are connected with vertical and vertically movable bars 11,the upper ends of which are angularly bent off, these bent-off endsresting upon helical compression springs 12. The bars 11 serve fordeforming the windings of the flexible pipe so as thereby to break thethin layer of ice formed upon them into pieces which fall down into thelower portion of the receptacle 19, as shown at 17 in Fig. l. The piecescan be removed through a large bottom hole after a closing member 18 ofthat hole has been removed.

The bars 11 can be depressed, counter to the pressure of the springs 12,by rolls 14 attached to the ends of a rod 19 which is suspended from thelower end of the shaft of an elec-tromotor 13 mounted upon the top ofthe receptacle '7. The rod 19 is hinged to the electromotor shaft andcan assume an oblique position, as shown in Fig. 1. It assumes thisposition when one of the rolls arrives at a recess 16 in the receptacletop in which recess a contact 15 is located. When a roll enters intosaid recess, it operates the contact 15, that is to say, it switches theelectromotor off. The electromotor works only intermittently, as acertain short period of time must be left after'every circulation of therolls 14 so that another layer of ice can form upon the helical windingsof the flexible pipe during that time.

When a roll 14 arrives over a bar 11. it compresses the appertainingspring 12 and depresses the respective bar 11 in order to break thelayer of ice intopieces, as has already been mentioned.

' when the roll has left that bar this latter is lifted by its spring sothat these parts reassume their former normal position. One revolutionof the rolls 14 is sufiicient to free all windings of the flexible pipefrom the'ice that has formed upon it. Then an interruption takes placeand when the next layer of ice has formed, the motor is again started.

I claim:

1. A device for producing artificial ice in the form of piecesresembling broken glass, comprising, in combination, a helically woundflexible pipe, stationary bars located parallel to the axis of thehelical pipe and being connected with alternate windings of thesame,movable bars also arranged parallel to said axis and being connectedwith the other windings of the helical pipe, means for reciprocatingsaid movable bars, means for conducting a refrigerating agent throughthe said pipe, and means for conducting water over it.

2. A device for producing artificial ice in the form of piecesresembling broken glass, comprising, in combination, a helically woundflexible pipe, stationary bars located parallel to the axis of thehelical pipe and being connected with alternate windings of the same,movable bars also arranged parallel to said axis and being connectedwith the other windings of the helical pipe, compressive springs holdingsaid movable bars, means for compressing said springs and depressing atthe same time said movable bars, means for conducting a refrigeratingagent through the said pipe, and means for conducting water over it.

3. A device for producing artificial ice in the form of piecesresembling broken glass, comprising, in combination, a helically woundflexible pipe, stationary bars located parallel to the axis of thehelical pipe and being connected with alternate windings of the same,movable bars also arranged parallel to said axis and being connectedpipe. and means for maintaining the latter at an appropriately lowtemperature.

a 4. A device for producing artificial ice in the .85

form of pieces resembling broken glass, comprising, in combination, ahelically wound flexible pipe, stationary bars located parallel to theaxis of the helical pipe and being connected with alternate windings ofthe same. movable bars also arranged parallel to said axis and beingconnected with the other windings of the helical pipe, compressivesprings holding said movable bars, circulating rolls so arranged as tobe adapted to compress said springs successively and to depresssimultaneously therewith the appertaining movable bars, means supportingsaid rolls, and means for driving them round, means for causing thewater to be transformed into ice to ripple over the helical pipe, andmeans for main- 10 taining the latter at an appropriately low temprature.

5. A device for producing artificial ice in the form of piecesresembling broken glass, comprising in combination a single flexiblemetallic pipe wound into helical shape, means for deforming said pipeaxially in opposite directions, means for conducting a refrigeratingagent through it, and means for conducting the water to be transformedinto ice over it. no

6. A device for producing artificial ice in the form of piecesresembling broken glass comprising in combination a casing, a singleflexible metallic pipe arranged in a helical form within the casing,means for flxing portions of the pipe in the interior of the casing,means mounted in the casing for deforming said pipe axially in oppositedirections at intervals, means for conducting a refrigerating agentthrough said pipe, means for conducting the water to be transformed intoice over said pipe, and means for facilitating the removal of the piecesof ice from the casing.

WALTHER. 'I'AMM.

